The present invention relates to a surface mounted continuous wiring system. More particularly, the present invention relates to a modular wiring system for mounting on the surface of a wall or wall panel to supply electrical power to the wall or wall panel.
Modern offices often use free-standing partitions or wall panels to form individual office cubicles in an open office environment. These cubicles provide a proper working environment while maintaining versatility and mobility for unrestricted office organization and expansion. It is essential that each of the cubicles formed by the wall panels is provided with electrical power. Therefore, various wiring systems which permit adjacent panels to be electrically coupled together have been developed. Wall panels often need to be assembled, disassembled, or reconfigured to provide larger or smaller work stations. Therefore, it is essential that the wiring system be flexible and easy to reconfigure. It is known to provide various types of wiring harness assemblies located inside wall panels to supply power to the wall panels.
The present invention is designed to be mounted on an external, exposed surface of the wall panels or on an exposed surface of any existing wall in the building to provide electrical power to that area of the building. The present invention is designed to minimize the amount of copper required and to provide a continuous wiring system which is easy to install with no complex wiring to install.
Because the continuous wiring system of the present invention is mounted on an external exposed surface of the wall, the continuous wiring system of the present invention can be placed at any height on the wall for easy access. Therefore, the surface mount continuous wiring system of the present invention facilitates supplying electricity to any desired area of a building. Advantageously, the surface mount continuous wiring system of the present invention simplifies installation and is easy to reconfigure if desired.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a wiring assembly is provided for mounting on an exposed surface of a wall or wall panel to supply electrical power to the wall or wall panel. The wiring assembly includes a plurality of conductive bus bars and an insulating support having a base and a plurality of generally parallel dividers extending upwardly from the base to define a plurality of slots therebetween. Each slot is configured to receive a conductive bus bar therein. The assembly also includes means for coupling the support to said exposed surface and a cover coupled to the support. The cover is situated over the plurality of dividers to shield the plurality of conductive bus bars situated in the plurality of slots. The assembly further includes outlet means coupled to the conductive bus bars for providing an outlet for electrical power from the wiring assembly.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the support includes first and second side walls located on opposite sides of the base and an elongated tab formed on each of the first and second side walls. The cover includes a face plate and first and second side members extending away from the face plate. The first and second side members of the cover each include an inwardly extending flange for engaging the tabs on the first and second side walls, respectively, to secure the cover to the support.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, the cover includes a plurality of inwardly extending insulating strips for entering the plurality of slots formed in the support to hold the plurality of conductive bus bars in a predetermined position within the support. The cover is preferably a one-piece, electrically insulated cover.
The outlet means includes an outlet box located adjacent the cover. The outlet box is formed to include a plurality of apertures. The outlet means also includes a plurality of clip connectors configured to pass through the plurality of apertures formed in the outlet box and to engage selected conductive bus bars. The outlet means further includes means for receiving blade electrodes of a power plug to couple the power plug to the bus bars, thereby supplying electrical power from the conductive bus bars to the power plug.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the wiring assembly comprises eight conductive bus bars arranged in a substantially equal vertical spaced relation. The outlet means includes a receptacle located vertically spaced below the bus bars and the cover.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the wiring assembly comprises eight conductive bus bars located in a vertical spaced relation. Four of said bus bars being substantially equally spaced to form a first set of bus bars. The remaining four of said bus bars are substantially equally spaced to form a second set of bus bars. The first set of bus bars is vertically spaced from said second set of bus bars. In this embodiment, the outlet means is disposed between said first and second sets of bus bars.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, a modular wiring assembly is provided for mounting on an exposed surface of a wall or wall panel to supply electrical power to the wall or wall panel. The wiring assembly includes a plurality of conductive bus bars and a plurality of one piece electrically insulating supports. Each support including a base and a plurality of generally parallel insulating dividers extending upwardly from the base to define a plurality of elongated slots therebetween. Each slot is configured to receive one of the plurality of conductive bus bars therein. The wiring assembly also includes means for coupling the plurality of supports to said exposed surface to form a continuous wiring strip on the exposed surface and a plurality of covers. One cover is coupled to each of the supports to shield the plurality of conductive bus bars situated in the plurality of slots. The wiring assembly further includes a plurality of electrical outlets and means for coupling said plurality of electrical outlets to selected ones of said bus bars. The wiring assembly still further includes means for electrically coupling conductive bus bars located in adjacent supports together to provide a continuous electrical path through the plurality of supports.
The means for electrically coupling conductive bus bars located in adjacent supports together includes a jumper located between each adjacent support. Each jumper includes a plurality of conductive clips for electrically coupling conductive bus bars located in adjacent supports together.
Additional objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of preferred embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the invention as present perceived.